NEWS
from
Central Connecticut State University
Honored as a "Leadership Institution" by the
Association of American Colleges & Universities
Media contact:
Bart Fisher,
Associate
Director of
Marketing and Communications
(860) 832-1624;
Fisherb@ccsu.edu
CCSU Receives
Substantial Gift from Private Donor Anthony
Bichum; Largest Single Gift from an Individual
Donor in the University’s 158-Year History
NEW BRITAIN,
CT – March 13, 2008 – Central Connecticut State
University today announced a substantial
endowment gift from Mr. Anthony Bichum, a
lifelong New Britain resident. The gift, made up
of a combination of cash and estate funds, is
expected to be the largest ever awarded by an
individual donor to CCSU, Connecticut’s oldest
publicly supported institution of higher
education. The funds will be used to establish
the Anthony and Helen G. Bichum Scholarship
Fund, named in honor of Bichum and his late
wife, Helen Girovsky Bichum, who passed away in
1984. The fund will provide scholarships for
full-time undergraduate and graduate students in
the CCSU School of Engineering and Technology.
In presenting the gift, Bichum said, “As a son
of Russian immigrants, I came from a family that
didn’t promote education. I left school early
and worked hard as a tool and die maker. I’ve
had a good life and I’ve done well in the stock
market. But I believe highly in education
because I never had it. I wish now I had gone to
college. If you have an education and you know
where you want to go, nothing can stop you.
Maybe my giving will inspire others to do the
same, because those who benefit from education
have an obligation to help those who follow.”
In response, Dr. Jack Miller, CCSU’s President,
stated, “We are most grateful for Mr. Bichum’s
extraordinary generosity. His gift to CCSU will
make it possible for more students to realize
their dreams and obtain a quality education at
Central. This is a history-making gift that will
benefit CCSU students for many years. Speaking
on behalf of the University, we are touched by
Mr. Bichum’s generosity and awed by the legacy
it creates.”
Dr. Zdzislaw Kremens, Dean of the School of
Engineering and Technology at CCSU, added: “We
deeply appreciate this very generous gift from
Mr. Bichum. The Anthony and Helen G. Bichum
Scholarship Fund will enable many qualified
students to pursue their dreams in the School of
Engineering and Technology and go on to
rewarding careers. We thank Mr. Bichum for all
that his amazing support will make possible.”
Bichum, the
son of Russian immigrants and a lifelong New
Britain resident, never attended college; his
formal education ended before he reached high
school. At about age 13, he started taking on
various jobs, first as a shoeshine boy at Putnam
and Company, a local brokerage firm; then
working in the tobacco fields; then sweeping and
paving roads as a public works employee for the
City of New Britain. Later Bichum attended trade
school and became a tool and die maker. He was
employed at Skinner Chuck Company (which later
became a subsidiary of Honeywell, Inc.) for 25
years, as well as at other local toolmakers.
Bichum served in the U.S. Army in Europe during
World War II until he sustained a chest injury
that led to an early discharge. He began
investing in the stock market when he was 18,
combining his own ingenuity with what he learned
from his time at Putnam and Company. In more
recent years, Bichum has visited Russia on four
different occasions and has traveled extensively
in Europe and the United States.
Bichum was honored at a special luncheon held
today at CCSU. In addition, a laboratory in the
CCSU School of Engineering and Technology has
been dedicated to the Bichums to commemorate
their generosity.
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